Interesting Tree from our childhood books : Horse Chestnut

When we were kids our English class teacher and the music teacher as well taught us the song "Under the spreading chestnut tree". We sang and hummed the tune in the old days...and later try to remember all the actions what went with the song!!

Finding chestnuts in the Isle of Wight reminded me of those happy days and happy children....and of course the happy classroom atmosphere...learning was so good in those days...and our teachers were our heroes.... Here are the lyrics to jot your memory...

Under the spreading chestnut tree,
Where I knelt upon my knee,
We were as happy as could be,
Under the spreading chestnut tree.


Verse 2:
Under the spreading chestnut ____,
(Replace 'tree' with action:
Place arms close to side, bent upward
from the elbow, hands spread, with palms up)

Where I knelt upon my knee,
We were as happy as could be,
Under the spreading chestnut ____.
(Replace 'tree' with action as above)


Verse 3:
Under the spreading chest___ _____
(Replace 'nut' and 'tree' with actions:
For 'nut', pat head with hands.
For 'tree', do action as above)

Where I knelt upon my knee,
We were as happy as could be,
Under the spreading chest___ _____
(Replace 'nut' and 'tree' with actions as above.)


Verse 4:
Under the spreading ________ _____
(Replace 'chest', 'nut' and 'tree' with actions:
For 'chest', tap chest with both hands.
For 'nut' and 'tree', do actions as above.)

Where I knelt upon my knee,
We were as happy as could be,
Under the spreading ________ _____
(Replace 'chest', 'nut' and 'tree' with actions as above.)


Verse 5:
Under the _________ ________ _____
(Replace 'spreading', 'chest', 'nut' and 'tree'
with actions: For 'spreading', spread arms wide.
For 'chest', 'nut' and 'tree', do actions as above.)

Where I knelt upon my knee,
We were as happy as could be,
Under the _________ ________ _____
(Replace 'spreading', 'chest', 'nut' and 'tree'
with actions as above.)


Verse 6:
Under the _________ ________ _____
(Replace 'spreading', 'chest', 'nut' and 'tree'
with actions as above.)

Where I knelt upon my knee,
(Replace 'knee' with action: strike knee with hand)

We were as happy as could be,
Under the _________ ________ _____
(Replace 'spreading', 'chest', 'nut' and 'tree'
with actions as above.)

The soft dry ground covered with the shells of the horse chestnuts....animals and birds would have picked most of the chestnuts by early morning. (Chestnuts cost a bit in Beijing - especially in winter when stalls selling chestnuts can be found all over the street corners of the Chinese capital.)



The fruit covered with its protective skin of soft thorns.